BornClear: A New Way of Natural Childbirth?

There has been an ongoing and lively debate over the past few decades in the childbirth community on hospital versus home births, with merits on both sides of the fence. There are many reasons to want a sterile, doctor-friendly birth in a hospital where immediate support can reach you if mother or baby has complications. Meanwhile, advocates for home birth say the baby goes through a lot less trauma entering life at home in comfort rather than the loud, scary, frenzied world of the hospital. A new system of childbirth is making its way into popular arguments as the best way to bring a child into this world; regardless of where your birthing plan takes you.

BornClear—developed a few years ago by Denise Spatafora, author of the book, Better Birth: The Ultimate Guide to Childbirth from Home Births to Hospitals—is a natural way to birth your child by tapping into the mother’s intuition and using mind and body as one central force in order to create the perfect environment for your new child. BornClear is a special preparation course that is geared toward calming general fears and unlocking the mystery behind the miracle of birth for both parents.

Denise created the new birthing method after having two children at her home in what she experienced as a beautiful, peaceful, and powerful time. She was inspired to create an educational experience for parents around the country by setting up birthing clinics in order to allow parents to trust in their own ability to use mind and body to nurture their child through the birth.

Though she advocates for giving birth at home, she teaches this method as a way to prepare the parents mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for the baby no matter where the mother and father choose to have the birth. By helping mothers tap into their “internal medicine chest,” BornClear addresses the idea that your thoughts can affect the way you feel physically while walking you and your partner through every stage of labor and how the mind can control labor each step using relaxation tools, breathing techniques, and visualization aids that you can practice well before you expect your bundle of joy.

Each one-day class (currently scheduled in New York City) is designed to help parents prepare for adding a new little person to their family, which can be stressful as new parents because of the details involved, from sleep deprivation to breastfeeding techniques to taking care of yourself while learning to care for your newborn. By keeping your thoughts positive and your mind open to empowerment, Denise’s method helps to keep both parents united in the same mind so they can help each other out in stressful environments.

Former World Health Organization (WHO) Director of Women’s and Children’s Health, Dr. Marsden Wagner, reviews the BornClear method by saying that for a long time women have been scared by birth because of the many risks involved, and have allowed their bodies to be taken over by fear which puts their body in more danger, however, “In BornClear, Denise Spatafora has brought the science of the mind-body connection to conception, pregnancy, and childbirth, once again giving women control of these most important events in their lives….by reading this book, it will change how they see their own body, how they treat their own body using all the tools described in the book, and how they bring this new paradigm to having a baby.”

Another review of the book has celebrated actress and Oscar-award winner Olympia Dukakis calling Denise’s method a, “comprehensive and profoundly caring look at a very important subject.” No matter where you feel most comfortable giving birth to your baby, the BornClear method only ensures that the best way to give your baby the easiest birth is to be aware of your feelings and translate those into pleasant thoughts toward the baby and his or her health. Since meditative breathing and a calm, relaxed mind help you get into more comfortable yoga positions, the same is true for giving birth. If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, keep worries out of your mind and remember to stay calm and get connected with your body and your partner…it may just be the best for welcoming your baby’s first moments.

Check out the new HealthNews pregnancy and childbirth column, debuting this Saturday June 6th. Bringing in Baby: Pregnancy and Childbirth Made Healthy, written by Constance Rock, LM, CPM and Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM, will run every Saturday and focus on all aspects of pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, and early postpartum. Find out everything you need to know to have a healthy conception, pregnancy and birth.